There are times when we can avoid trouble and difficulty, and confront injustice; but there are other times when it is useless to protest, and we do best to imitate Jesus in His acceptance of His Father's plan, in total trust and surrender, confident the God can bring good out of evil.

Even more important than action in the world, to abolish the evil of abortion, is prayer. People in monasteries, inspired to pray about this tragedy, should pray, as should people in the whole world, as well; the God Who loathes injustice, will overcome this evil in our society today.

All good people, whether in the world or cloistered, clerical or lay-persons or in Religious Life, should pray about the evil of abortion; then the Father, Who cannot abide injustice, will change things, so that unborn babies are no longer in such danger of being unjustly slaughtered in the womb.

The truth about victims of miscarriages of justices - pictured here in a gallery - are often not recognised until much later on. Perhaps abortion will one day be seen as the great injustice it is, for the unborn child, instead of a means of 'liberation' for women unhappy about being pregnant.

Christ is deeply touched whenever people speak, work and pray, so that the truth will be known about injustice, but especially about the unjust and merciless killing of unborn babies. They have been given life by God. They are precious in His sight, and have done no wrong; yet they are slaughtered because their presence is inconvenient.

The Lord asks us to deal with some injustices in the manner of Saint Francis, who was reported as saying: if he were to trudge for miles through a snowy landscape, in darkness, and hungry, only to be met with insults, picked up and thrown aside - and yet be able to bear all this with patience, without food and warmth, that would be perfect joy, because then he would have been found worthy to be treated like Christ, and to be able to imitate Him.

The Lord sees all the injustice on the earth, including the refusal to allow women to step outside their homes, the unjust imprisonment of those who campaign for free speech, and the cruel persecution of Christians, and the destruction of their churches. The world would be a better place if everyone kept the Ten Commandments.

If someone were to walk for thousands of miles, searching for peace, and found himself emerging into a place where there is, routinely, injustice in family life, corruption in Government, and war-like behaviour in everyday life, he will not find the peace he was looking for. Peace has to start in the human heart, and then spread outward. It cannot be imposed from outside upon persons whose hearts remain angry, cruel or hopeless.

Priests who find joy in the knowledge of God's love for them are like men who raise their faces to the sunshine to enjoy its warmth. Someone unhappy is as if holding an umbrella over his head, and shutting out the sun's rays. The umbrella represents any sin not yet confessed, or any injustice not yet put right, of which he was the cause. He needs to be at peace with God.

God looks on us with gladness whenever we pray for victims of oppression, whether for people in danger of injustice or death for political or religious reasons. God sees those forgotten millions whose bodies are dumped in mass graves, just as He sees the tragic sight of abortion, by which millions of tiny babies have been killed in the wombs of their own mothers, usually at her request.

Whenever there is a natural disaster in a poverty-stricken country, it should be borne in mind that, amongst the dead, are many who were responsible for the dreadful corruption, crime, poverty and injustice. No-one who has made himself rich or secure by sin can protect himself against sudden death, and Judgement.

Those who use their roles in Government to support injustice and sin will meet the same fate as those who commit it - unless these politicians repent before they die. They risk Eternal separation from God, than which nothing is more horrible; yet they themselves would be to blame.

Christ wants us to realise that wherever there is suffering and injustice, His love is needed: His love, and respect for all who are generally treated as inferior or even worthless: girls and women, the uneducated or sick or disabled, or people of another race or background. A really just society is one that follows the teachings of Christ. We can ask, as a 'measure' of justice anywhere on earth, 'How are women treated in their families?'

There are far-away countries where some communities are so isolated that some people in power permit horrible injustices against the powerless, who become deprived of all hope. Cruel people who do not repent will find themselves isolated after death, themselves at the mercy of creatures stronger than they: the demons in Hell.

If we cannot sweep aside injustice we can bring comfort by our prayers. God has given everyone free will, which means that He does not step in, every time someone makes an evil choice; which is why there is all sorts of wickedness, including abortion of helpless babies - and even forced abortions against the will of the mother. By our prayers and penances we can help those suffering people to endure, and not to give in to despair.

How to Pray: Basics, by Elizabeth Wang

This text is published as Chapter 2 of How to Pray (Part One: Foundations), pages 9-18, entitled 'How to Pray'. An introduction to the life of prayer with much practical advice about how to deepen you...

This text is published as Chapter 3 of How to Pray (Part One: Foundations), pages 19-30, entitled 'How to Persevere'. An introduction to the life of prayer with much practical advice about how to deep...

This text forms part of Elizabeth Wang's Falling in Love: A Spiritual Autobiography (1999). It tells the story of her life and of her spiritual journey as she came to know Christ and His Church.
You ...

This text forms part of Elizabeth Wang's Falling in Love: A Spiritual Autobiography (1999). It tells the story of her life and of her spiritual journey as she came to know Christ and His Church.
You ...